Improvement in rowlocks



' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROWLOCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,086, dated July 3, 1866.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, Capt. JOSEPH W. NOR- CROss, of Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Rowlock; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section of this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan or top view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views of' a modication of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a rowlock which is mounted on a wooden bed-plate and composed of metal sockets with wooden thole-pins, in such a manner that the rowlock can be sold ready mounted, and all 'the boat-builder has to do is to fas-ten the bed-plate down to the gunwale of the boat, the metal portion of the rowlock, with the thole-pins, being secured to the bed-plate so that it can be easily fastened or unfastened, thus enabling the owner of a boat to take off his rowlocks when the'boat is laid up ashore, and to attach the same at a moments notice if the boat is needed for use.

A represents a strip of wood, equal in width to the width of the gunwale of a boat, or a little narrower, and sufficiently thick and long to support the metal portion of my rowlock. Said strip of wood forms the bed-plate, which,

Y when the rowlock is to be secured to a boat,

is fastened to the gunwale by screws or other suitable means. To this bed-plate is firmly secured a plate, C, of metal or other suitable material, and the edge of this plate projects over a cavity, a, in the bed-plate A, so that the edge of the plate D can be made to catch` The edges of under it, as shown in Fig. l. the plates C and D may be straight or hookshaped, and the plateD is cast solid, with two cylindrical sockets, E, which are intended to receive the wooden thole-pins E. The inner vportions of the sockets E are cut away, so that the shank of the oar does not come in contact with the metal, which would cause the same to wear very rapidly.

From the lower surface of the plate D project two lugs, c d, one of which is solid and the other provided with a slot, e.. The solid lug c is intended to catch into a mortise, f, in the bed-plate A, and the slotted lug d passes through another mortise, g, in such a position that the latch h, or any other equivalent fastening, can be made to catch in the same, as

shown in the drawings. This latch is fastened to the under surface of the bed-plate A, said bed-plate being provided with a suitable'recess to allow the latch to open and close. -By opening the latch the slotted lug d is released, and the plate D can be raised and released from the bed-plate A.

It is obvious, however, that instead of this fastening another arrangement might be adopted-such, for instance, as that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in which the slotted lug cl is replaced by a round stud, dit, with a projection, ci?, and the lug c is omitted entirely. The edge of the plate D, which catches under the edge of the plate C, is curved and so shaped that it forms a sort of a cam, and if the stud d* is passed through its socket in the bedplate, and the plate D is turned, the projection e*E catches under the bed-plate A, and the camshaped edge of the plate D wedges itself in tight under the plate C, and the rowlock is secured without requiring any other fastening.

By these means a rowlock is obtained which can be mounted ready for use in the shop, so

that the boat-builder has nothing further to do but to fasten the bed-plate A to the gun wale of the boat; and, furthermore, by combining the wooden thole-pins with the metal sockets the strength and durability of metal is combined with the softness of the wood, and a rowlock is obtained which is strong and durable, which can be secured to the boat without cutting the gunwale, which does not wear out the oar any quicker than ordinary wooden thole-pins, and which can be readily detached or attached, as circumstances may render desirable.

What I claim as new,land desire to secure by or studs E, in combination with the plate C oonstrueted and operating substantially as and bed-plate A, constructed and operating and for the purpose described.

substantially as und for the purpose described. The above specification of my invention 2. The Wooden thole-pins F, in combination signed by me this 24th day of March, 1866. With the seomental metal sockets E construeted und2D operating substantially as and JOSEPH W NOROROSS' for the purpose described. Witnesses:

3. The latch h and lugs c d, in combination WM. F. MCNAMARA,

With the plates C D und studs or sockets E, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 1 

